A World Without Satoko
by Kiba Sniper
Summary: During a pivotal moment of Minagoroshi-hen, Satoko perishes, and Rika spirals into the depths of despair. Hanyuu attempts to reason with her, but Rika realizes the true cause of the tragedy. Implied Rika/Satoko Oneshot.


Content Warnings: Suicide

A World Without Satoko

By: kibasniper

"Rika, listen to me. Satoko will be waiting for you in the next world. This world was not meant for us." Realizing Rika was not listening, Hanyuu wrung her hands together with her sleeves covering her fingers. "Rika, please, look at me. The next world will be…auau…"

Rika waited, noting Hanyuu's silence and grit down on her molars. Just listening to Hanyuu's persistent reasoning over why the incident happened sickened her and only made her desire for a drink even stronger. Her fingers drummed against the windowsill, watching the rain come down in misty, rapid drops. She could still see perfectly clear, making out the inescapable full moon beaming a poignant light onto the world. Yet, there were stars out in the blackened night. Now, the world was completely dark in her violet eyes, and the shining appearance of the moon dulled once she gazed upon it.

The raining quickened, pounding onto the ground outside of Rika's home as Hanyuu continued with her failing speech, saying, "This world…it was already destroyed. It was not a world where we would be happy, Rika."

"This world could have been saved. No, I don't care about this world now that she is gone. A world without Satoko is no longer worth the effort."

"Then…we should…"

"Quiet."

Hanyuu whimpered, bringing her sleeves to her mouth and cringed as Rika shot an infuriated glare at her. "R-Rika?"

"What mattered in this world was saving Satoko, and we failed. We all miserably, pathetically failed once again."

"We tried our best, Rika. Everyone-!"

"'Everyone?' What did you do?" Rika scoffed, crossing her arms and continued glaring at the moon. With Hanyuu's silence permeating and her response being the thunder ominously rolling in the distance, she gripped at her elbows and let her anger broil red hot in her chest. Her rage melted away at her insides, leaving the morbidity and sadness to burn to death. "That's what I thought, Hanyuu. You did nothing."

"Rika, you know I can't interact with this world. No one can see me," Hanyuu retorted, narrowing her stare at Rika's backside as her childish side vanished for one of godly importance. "The only one who can see me is you. The others cannot speak with me or touch me. There is no way for me to be with anyone except you."

"Hanyuu…did you know this would happen? Did you know we would fail?"

Hanyuu's continued silence was all Rika needed to know. It happened once again. It was a world in which Satoko suffered horrendous abuse from her uncle, but this time, she was killed. They all attempted to reach out to Satoko and save her, and with all of her beautiful courage, Satoko boldly screamed for help to the social worker on the phone. She was like a warrior bravely standing up with all of her might against the deadliest evil plaguing the people, and Rika saw her courage shine forward. If Satoshi was around or even alive, Rika knew he would be so proud of his darling little sister.

No one knew Teppei was holding that dumbbell. Even through the phone, everyone could succinctly hear that violent crack and shrill, shocked cry before the quietness rolled through the receiver. As the heavy footsteps of the police swarmed into the Hojo residence moments too late, the soft, final cries of Satoko filled the office.

"Rika…Rika…you saw it…right, Rika? My…courage…"

The scream that ruptured from Rika's lips was enough to pierce everybody's eardrums. Her anguished, defeated roar had made everyone realize what happened too late as others began clawing for the phone and shouted into it. Shion was frantic, bawling out for Satoko on the phone until Keiichi grabbed it away, demanding for Satoko to answer. Rena burst into sobs, covering her face with her hands as the others frozenly watched, realizing they had allowed a clearly preventable murder to happen.

Rika ran all the way home, pushing through the swarming crowd that supported her dear friend and locking herself in the home she shared with Satoko. She shrieked louder than she ever done before, throwing down bottles of wine, overturning tables, and ripping apart the calendar that mocked her about the fate that haunted her with each world. Each time Hanyuu appeared to calm her, Rika launched whatever she could at the apparition, screaming for her to leave and sobbed into Satoko's futon until no more tears left her eyes.

A world without Satoko was not worth living in. It was a mantra she had gone by in many worlds. If Satoko was not alive, the world was akin to Hell. Satoko, who had been so cherished by Rika, suffered the most out of anyone, and for her to simply perish by such a cowardly method by Teppei dishonored her. When she finally showed her courage, Teppei crushed it as he did with her head.

"Hanyuu…" Rika began, turning around and glaring at the powerful god. "This is the worst thing you have done to me. Why didn't tell me this would have happened? We could have changed this fate."

"It's useless, Rika. This Hinamizawa was not for us. Like I said, you'll meet a new Satoko, a Satoko that will treasure you as you do for her. This world was just doomed."

"But you knew. If you told me…if you told me..."

"Then what would you do? What could you do, Rika?" Hanyuu closed her eyes, floating towards the ceiling and stared down at the trembling girl. "No matter what we do, we are enclosed in this horrible fate. Even if I had told you, Satoko's fate was sealed."

"You're saying this was all hopeless. Our efforts were all for naught, huh? You were laughing at us, weren't you?"

Gasping, Hanyuu rapidly shook her head, crying out, "No! No! I didn't want you to be sad! That's why I didn't tell you!"

"That makes no sense, Hanyuu! Satoko didn't deserve to live such a hellish life! We could have changed it! All of our hearts were united…but you ruined it!"

"If I told you, Rika, you would fall to such despair and know you couldn't change fate! It's just like-!"

"It's just like my upcoming death! Well, I'll show you that can change, too, Hanyuu."

Rika stormed in the kitchen, shuffling through drawers. She tossed cutlery to the floor, smashing dishes and bending forks as they landed. Snatching a heavy kitchen knife, Rika stormed back to the window and ignored Hanyuu's fervent pleading screams. She glanced back to the moon, watching as storming clouds overpowered the brilliance with heavy gray splotches and killed her own fate in that world. Coolly staring at Hanyuu, Rika brought the knife to her throat.

"This is a world without Satoko. Of course it isn't worth saving anymore. It's not worth it trying to live in this dead Hinamizawa. This Hinamizawa was not meant for us…but it could have been if you were as brave as Satoko, Hanyuu."

Hanyuu closed her eyes, clouting her sleeves over her eyes and turned away as the garbled groans from Rika gurgled behind her. She could hear the blood slapping against the ground, and the uneven creaking of the wooden floorboards from Rika's wobbling weight tormented her ears. She whimpered loudly, desperately attempting to drown out her descendant's death throes. Hearing the knife drop, Hanyuu willed herself to turn around and gasped sharply enough to hurt her lungs.

Rika blankly stared at her. Her neck was mangled, carved and gutted like a fish with blood coating her body, light green dress, and feet. She stumbled, grinning slightly as the thought of meeting Satoko in the next world filled her. Hanyuu was right. "That" Hinamizawa was not for her, but "that" Hinamizawa could have been if Hanyuu had exposed the same bravery Satoko showed in the final moment in her life.

Hanyuu wiped her wet eyes, hiccupping and sniffling as Rika's body fell over and crumpled to the ground in a swelling pool of her own blood. Hovering over to her, the demon let Rika's words run laps around her head before sighing. Quietly, she bent over and pressed two fingers to her stiff eyelids, closing them forever in that lost Hinamizawa.

"Rika…fate is inescapable. If I had told you…you couldn't have stopped it no matter what. We've seen several versions of Hinamizawa where tragedy always befalls us. Satoko could not be saved, and it seems like you couldn't be saved either." Hovering over to the window as the rain continued drowning the outside world, she closed her eyes and vanished for the last time in that doomed fragment of Hinamizawa.


End file.
